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Nursing Staff on 6B and 9C

6B and 9C Nursing Staff

Nursing Staff on 6B and 9C, RNs and more

6B Medical Unit and 9C Psychiatry

University of Michigan Health System

Ann Arbor, MichiganUnited States

This special award is given to 6B and 9C for the extraordinary care given over the past year! As you all know, M.R. was a patient at UMHS for over a year, until he passed away in January. The old saying “it takes a village” was truly apparent in the loving, exceptional care he received here. His mother summed it all up by saying “he never would have lasted this long without your care...he was so happy!”

His mother wanted to share a poem with you, written by his sister. This poem is also going to be on his headstone, along with a fire truck.

Our Special Son

We were given a gift from the Lord above

A special son who would need much love

His progress may be very slow

His accomplishments he may not show

And he’ll require some extra care

From all of those that he meets here.

You weren’t like other children, and God was quite aware

That you’d need a caring family

With love enough to share

We’re proud that we were chosen

To help nurture and watch you grow

The joy you have brought to our lives-is more than you can know

A precious gift from Heaven-A treasure from above

A son that has taught us many things-and most of all-real love.

To be loved by a son, brother and uncle with special needs, gives one patience and understanding. Loving a son, brother and uncle with special, needs gives you courage, strength and perseverance.

From the patient's mother:

M.R. was 6 weeks old when he was adopted. He was developmentally challenged and therefore absorbed everybody into his care, right from the beginning. So when he was admitted to UMHS, it wasn’t a surprise that so many people became involved in his care. She states that his care was at UMHS “phenomenal” and that the nursing units “adopted my son.” Before the patient came to us, he had lived at the Medilodge where he had a small apartment. Eventually his health started to decline and he was admitted to a couple of small hospitals, but was soon transferred to UMHS. He was a patient on 9C for a couple months, and then was moved to 6B for the remainder of his life. It truly was a “team” effort caring for M.R., from the RN’s, Patient Care Workers, Medical Social Workers, Physicians and the Security Staff. She goes on to say that once the staff got to know him, he quickly became a favorite. Here are some of the stories that stand out to her:

M.R. would become aggressive, and the nurses would need to call Security to help calm him. He started to recognize Security and he would announce “Oops, the cops are here!” Security would tell him, “your mom’s coming so you better behave” and he would cooperate with them. She also told of a time when one guard was picked up by the patient, from the bed! For Halloween, 2 security guards came up with a fire fighters costume. They took the costume and chocolate chip cookies to him, since both were things he really loved. The officer said “it would give him a break from the everyday life of living in the hospital.” The nursing staff was very thankful for this and planned on dressing him up to go trick or treating around the hospital!

M.R. was always trying to scare the nurses. He would be looking out the window, and say “there’s a bobcat out there…you better watch out!” He forever had the nurses looking out the window and they would laugh along with him. He also would tease about a “snake on the floor”. He would constantly grab the hands of the nurses. He wanted to hold their hands, and would often say “I like you”.

His mother will always remember the kindness shown to her son by the staff. She remembers that he always had presents, or something new from a staff member every time she visited during a holidays. M.R. really loved fire trucks and a nurse from 9C, had a picture made for him of fire trucks, with his name on it. She hung the picture in his room so he could look at it all the time, and he really admired it.

Her most recent memory was of the staff that attended the funeral and then the special memorial service at UMHS, planned by the some of the nurses and social workers. She said it was a beautiful remembrance of her son, and she was thankful for the nursing staff at the University. At the service, the staff told stories about M.R. and what they had learned from him, and how even today, they use it in their daily lives!

Many of the staff interviewed for this award talked about what an honor it was to know him, and to care for him. This was truly a remarkable case and the staff remained compassionate over the long term as they cared for the patient. The staff HAD to pull together all of the resources available and work across MANY disciplines to give exceptional care to M.R. For all of this, and much more not mentioned, the DAISY Team Award is given to 6B and 9C Nurses and Staff!